This article was co-authored by Luba Lee, FNP-BC. Luba Lee is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner in Tennessee. She received her MSN from the University of Tennessee in 2006.

There are 5 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Stress balls are easy to make from easily available materials. All you need is a few balloons and the right material to put in them. If you want your stress ball to feel more similar to a commercial stress ball, the sewing method may give you the results you're looking for.

Steps

Method1

Making a Stress Balloon

1

Gather an uninflated balloon. Don't use water balloons, which are too thin and weak for this purpose, and will easily burst.[1]

2

Choose a filling. For a typical palm-sized stress ball, you'll need approximately 160 to 240 grams (5.6 to 8.5 oz) of filling. Any of these will do:

For a firm stress ball, use flour, baking soda,[2] or cornstarch (a white powder called cornflour in the Commonwealth).

For a looser stress ball, use dry rice lentils, small beans, or split peas, or fine play sand from a hardware store.

Mix a small amount of dried rice into flour for something in between. This is also more durable than flour alone.

3

Blow up the balloon slightly (optional). This isn't always necessary but can be useful if the balloon isn't elastic enough to fit the filling. Blow it up to about 3 to 5 inches (7.6 to 12.7 cm) across, then pinch the neck shut without tying it.

This is easiest to do with a clip or assistant to hold it closed.

This can make the filling process messier if the air escapes while you're filling it.

4

Stick a funnel into the neck. If you do not have a funnel, spoon the filling into a plastic bottle instead, and fit the balloon over the neck. A plastic cup pinched to form a spout will work too, but tends to make a mess.[3]

5

Fill the balloon slowly. For a typical palm-sized ball, you'll want to fill the balloon approximately 2 to 3 inches (5.1 to 7.6 cm) deep. Pour slowly to avoid clogging the neck of the balloon.

If it clogs, use a pencil or spoon handle to clear the opening.

6

Pinch out excess air and tie closed. Remove the balloon from the funnel and let out as much air as you can. Tie the neck of the balloon closed tightly.

To release the air, pinch near the neck and separate your finger and thumb slightly. Too wide an opening can blow flour everywhere.[4]

7

Snip off the excess rubber. Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut off the dangling end of the balloon. Don't try to cut too close to the knot, or it could come undone.

Method2

Sewing a Stress Ball

1

Wrap a small rubber ball in memory foam. You can find the rubber ball from children's toy stores, and memory foam at some fabric stores or specialized online stores.[5] You'll want a piece of memory foam roughly 3.5 x 5 inches (9 x 12.5 cm) in size, and anywhere from 1 to 3 inches (2.5–7.5 cm) thick. A thicker piece of memory foam will make a softer, more squeezable stress ball.

2

Sew the foam around the rubber ball. Wrap the foam around the rubber ball and sew the memory foam together with needle and thread to enclose the ball completely. Snip off excess memory foam if necessary to make a rough spherical shape.

3

Finish by sewing a sock or piece of thick fabric around the memory foam. An old sock will provide a durable outer covering, but you can use a thick piece of fabric instead. Snip the sock or fabric to make it a tight sphere around the memory foam. Your squeeze ball is now complete.

Yes -- those materials would work as well. Instead of using a funnel, screw open the cap of the soap and/or lotion bottle and stretch the balloon over it. For a more clean (but time-consuming) version, stretch the balloon over the pump and pump the soap/lotion in that way. If the bottle doesn't have a pump, use the first method above.

wikiHow Video: How to Make a Stress Ball

To make a stress ball, slip a funnel into the neck of a sturdy balloon. If you want to make a firm stress ball, pour flour, baking soda, or cornstarch into the balloon. If you want your stress ball to be softer, use lentils, split peas, or fine play sand. You can also mix a little rice into your filling if you like. Slowly pour your filling into the funnel, and use a pencil to clear the funnel if it gets clogged. Pinch out any excess air and tie the balloon closed, then snip off any excess rubber from the end of the balloon. To learn more from our Medical Expert co-author, like how to sew a stress ball together, keep reading the article!

Tips

Permanent marker is an easy way to decorate the ball.

Cornstarch and a small spoonful of water will make a stress ball that's soft when handled gently and becomes firm when squeezed. Leave this for about 20 minutes before using, while the cornstarch becomes wet. This type of stress ball has a shorter lifespan.

Don't add too much water when adding water to the cornstarch or it will become too liquid.

Make sure not to fill it up too much!

Fill it with orbeez and use a clear balloon!

Using kinetic sand will make it more squishy and fun to play with!

Don't put water with the flour in your stress ball. It will turn into playdough!

Put a hair net over the stress ball. This will create a really cool effect when you squeeze it!

Put slime in the stress ball to make it squishier.

You can fill your stress ball with toothpaste for a squishier texture.

Warnings

Fillings with water or salt can weaken the balloon rubber and wear out the stress ball more quickly.

Wrapping multiple balloons around your stress balloon will add more friction, making it more likely to break.

"I was making stress balls to sell for a craft fair, and I was looking around for any other methods besides flour, rice, etc. I saw in the Q/A section that you could use slime instead of the usual filling. The slime really improved my balloons! Thanks!"..." more

AL

Augusta Lee

May 25, 2017

"I tried the stress balloon one and filled it with slime. It worked awesomely! I gave each one to my friends and they loved it as well. I do recommend putting 3 balloons inside each other so it will be more durable and squeezable."..." more

BA

Breana Ayala

Mar 2, 2018

"Everyone sharing their stories and experiences and thoughts really helps. I suffer from a lot of things, and this is the first real inspirational website that is going to help me. I have faith."..." more

A

Anonymous

Nov 10, 2016

"I found it useful that there were two methods included. This meant that as I did not have the correct materials for the second method, I could use (and was able to) use the first way."..." more

BL

B. L.

Sep 9, 2017

"This article was very well written. I liked that it covered several options for filling the balloons and listed the differences. Using multiple layers of balloons is a great idea."..." more

RH

Rox'sta H.

Sep 5, 2016

"It was a great article! Would have been completely stumped without it. Better still, the kids were able to follow it and do it for themselves. Thank you."..." more

CM

Camelia Meradi

May 22, 2017

"It worked well. I love the ideas to use slime and flour, but in different balloons. I use cornstarch and water to make oobleck."..." more

Rated this article:

A

Anonymous

Dec 29, 2016

"What stood out to me is the recipes, but if you guys make a recipe for water and slime stress balls, that would be amazing."..." more

Rebecca Williams

Apr 19, 2017

"It helped very well, because it didn't burst even if I squeezed it really hard. I use it all the time for when I get angry."..." more

Rated this article:

CJ

Cheyenne Jones

Apr 24, 2017

"All of the information given really helped me make the stress balloon, and it was a fun project that helped with stress."..." more

GS

Geneva Seitz

May 23, 2017

"This helped me because it was good for my stress and it was helpful to relax myself from being stressed for so long."..." more

JR

Jedda Robinson

May 27, 2017

"It was really useful, and I knew exactly what it meant. It was really explanatory. The pictures also helped a lot!"

ZD

Zoey Duffin

Nov 20, 2016

"The thing that helps is you can use a water balloon, putting water and clay! I was super excited and happy!"

LN

Lauren Nichol

Apr 29, 2017

"Stress balls are awesome! I just made one for school out of flour and a balloon. It worked really well."

A

Anonymous

Apr 18, 2017

"I was looking for different types of fillers for a DIY stress ball. This article gave me many options."

AH

Audrey Hogan

Oct 1, 2017

"I filled mine with orbeez. It worked so well. I gave them to my friends and they tried to pay me!"

RS

RRayan Shazad

May 24, 2017

"It helped me because most of the YouTube videos were too talky. This got straight to the point!"

Rated this article:

HN

Harry Newman

Jul 24, 2017

"I have a few anger problems so this stress ball really helped. I'm Going to make a stress pig."

A

Anonymous

Sep 13, 2017

"It is better if you put a bit of water to expand the stress ball, but it will still be thick! "

CE

Caitlyn E.

Jan 10, 2017

"The tips to use flour and to also decorate the stress ball with a face and hair helped most."

LN

Lauren Neal

Apr 27, 2017

"I was doing a project for school when I found this beautiful site. It really helped me. "

RS

Ryleigh Schwichtenberg

Nov 27, 2016

"Thank you, this site helped me, and I got to help others by answering their questions."